Topsy-Turvy God

"I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart;

I will sing your praises before the gods.

I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.

I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;

for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name."

Psalm 138:1-2 NLT

God surprises me every time.  If I expect Him to come from the right, I'm startled when I turn around and He's showing up on the other side.  When I think He'll act immediately, His plan is for me to wait, or if I assume I know what's best, He'll invariably give me a lesson on His radical best that blows my mind.

God doesn't operate according to the norms and traditions of man.  He has His own ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Supreme.  There are many gods created by man.  As many people groups as exist in this world, there are at least as many religions, methods for finding peace and purpose, and convictions that drive each life.  I could never succeed at counting all the regimens that people follow in a quest for a longer, more meaningful, healthier, success-filled life.  

Yet as happy as the worshipers of these gods may be, or content as the followers of these alternate lifestyles are, or as positive as the influence of these lifestyles are, they are not God.  There is only one true God, and only He is above all things.  Anything else I choose to trust in, then, will one day let me down.  Therefore, I would be wise to pin my hopes on the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth, giving Him praise in the midst of all other gods, religions and lifestyles.

God's dominion and power is not diminished by the plethora of other alternatives.

High. A successful CEO or politician is all about his own agenda, intent on exalting himself and those with which he has surrounded himself. He knows how to use people, befriending those who can help further his career and staying away from those who can do nothing for him. Rarely will he stoop to the level of the lowly, considering their needs as important or caring whether they suffer or not.  As long as his needs are tended to, this kind of leader is content to focus on his own life.  After all, he must do what is necessary to make it to the top!

God does not follow this template.  As powerful as He is, able to do more than I could ever imagine, He is never so high that He will not stoop low to regard the lowly, to care for the humble, to consider the poor (Psalm 138:6).  In fact, His eye is even on the humble sparrow as it flits from bush to bush in its search for food.  If His scope is so wide, He will surely pay attention to my needs and tend to my hurts (Matthew 10:29-31).  

God's high position does not prevent Him from seeing and caring for even the lowliest.

Trouble.  In this world I'm used to bearing the consequences of not only my own stupid actions, but also the foolish ones of those around me.  I learn early on that if I make that bed, I must lie in it; or that I must suck it up and carry on, taking like a man what's coming to me;  or fighting my own battles, cleaning up my own mess, facing my own demons.  It can be discouraging as I face this difficult life alone, left to deal with troubles all by myself, in the best way I know how.

God has a different plan (Psalm 138:7).  He doesn't adhere to the "every man for himself" mentality and He certainly doesn't offer His assistance to only those who are able to help themselves.  Instead, He protects, is in the business of preserving all life not matter how messy or lowly, and He saves even if He must step in to rescue me from my own stupid decisions.  While He is disciplinary in nature, His desire is always to draw me closer to Him.  Therefore, whatever it takes to show me the way to Him is what I can expect from Him, especially if that means giving me a hand when I'm overwhelmed with difficulties.  

God is kindhearted, even if I expect Him to leave me alone to get myself out of my own mess, He'll often surprise me by extending a helping hand right when I most need it.

It's easy to pigeon-hole God, placing Him in box and expecting certain behavior from Him based on past experiences or flawed expectations.  Still, God is God and His nature is not diminished by my faulty ideas.  His supremacy places Him above every other religion or god but does not prevent Him from caring for the lowly, nor keep Him from helping me, even if I don't deserve it.  He is a God who surprises me every time.  He is a topsy-turvy God!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let Him be God.

When do I limit God by expecting little from Him?

How do I pigeonhole God, placing Him in a category where He doesn't fit?